February 1st, 2004

Scotts Valley, CA - After three days of production in Redondo Beach, just south of LAX, the Tam Communications production team was ready to head into post on the 2004 national television campaign. Shot on 35mm film, the creative concept behind this year’s campaign for the national retailer is the ‘sound of boating’. With a “Stomp”-like feel, the first spot (due to roll out next month) will feature close up images of various parts of the four different boats hired for production—a sail boat, a trailer/ski boat, a skiff, and a fishing boat. In the May/June timeframe, a second spot will repeat the sound track but give viewers a wider look at the action. Additional spots focusing entirely on sailing and fishing will follow.

Tam’s Executive Producer, Susan O’Connor Fraser, worked with LA-based casting director Pam Gilles to cast the spots. After reviewing hundreds of resumes, the day-long casting session included seeing over 60 actors for the 14 final roles. Associate Producer, Maria Dilisio, helped coordinate the crew, combining Bay Area personnel (Assistant Cameraman, Joe Ward and Lighting Director, Spencer Commons) with LA-based freelancers (make-up, sound, teacher, PA). Long-time Tam favorite Sheila Greene, now based in LA, joined the crew as Gaffer.

Tam Fraser who was Director/Cameraman, shot not only from the dock of the King Harbor Yacht Club but also from chase boats including one day out with a hydrostabilizer platform. In addition to shooting, Fraser also supervised film-to-tape transfer at Monaco in San Francisco and will handle post-production for the spots. While only four main spots will be created, eventually over 70 commercials will be created, each featuring products being promoted during that specific week or month.

It will be the job of composer Pat Mosca of MoscaMusic to take the on-location wild track and create a cohesive sound track. Mosca will work with sounds that include the throttle of the ski boat, the engine on a skiff, the winch on the sail boat, a brush cleaning the deck of the fishing boat, a hose washing down the deck of the sail boat, and more.

Tam Communications is a leading digital media company, servicing corporate and entertainment clients by combining technical, creative, and communications expertise in the realms of video, interactive multimedia, and web. The company's expanding spectrum of original entertainment programming—developed for broadcast, cable, syndication, and other venues—airs worldwide. Tam Communications is a privately held company located in Scotts Valley, CA. Please visit our web site at www.tamcom.com.